Tooth-cleaning device.



TOOTH CLEANING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV.4,1907.

918 ,28 1 Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

IZWM/ fir (57 J? (,7 (WW /$0215 EDWARD C. CHAMBERS. OF KANSAS ClTY,

reoriapplication filed Nor-ember 4;, 1907. vSerial Nd, .60,'575.

To all whom it may comma:

. Be it known-that l, EDWARD t. finances, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas (Iity. in the county or" da' l'son and Stateof Missouri, have invent-ed ain new and useful 1m )rovements in Tooth-r leaning Devices, of which the following is a specification. a

This invention relates to tooth cleaning the gums or tongue of tie paticrn, and which unlike an ordinary tooth pick, cannot break and leave the detached part wedged between the teeth, an annoying and unplcasnt ex pcrience which most people have suffered.

A further object is to produce a tooth cleaning device which adapts itself to curved and angular as well as straight surfaces, and

- which can be conveniently carried in ones pocket.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features oi'construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1, is a perspective view, of a tooth cleaning device embodying: my invention.

I projecting from one end of the handle and having its tines terminating in ends 3 which are bent or curved correspondingly, the free ends of said tines being formed or equipped with ireferably sph erical heads i provided with lierfs 5, it being noted that when the device is held in the position shown in .hig. 1, the heads 4 occupy a higher plane than the handle.

6 indicates a connection between the heads 4 of such character as to be capable of being bent or stretched toward or from the handle or downward or in fact in any direction except that which would tend to force it out of the kerfs 5 and thus etlect its release from the heads 4.

In practice the flexible or elastic bridge Specification 0: Letters ?at ent.

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Patented April .1s 1eo e 7 piece 6 which is the element which comes in. contact with'the teetlrfor'. thepurpose of cleaning thein, forms a part of an elastic band, the portion of the band outwardly of the heads 4 being stret ch'edfromsubstan tially the position shown indotted lines, Fig. 1, in the direction indicated by the arrow of said figure, this stretching causing the band to assume isosceles triangle form with the apex of the triangle engaging'the depending stud '2 of the handle. As thus arranged theband is under tension and will retain its position for an indefinite period. iorkcd end of the device is inserted in the patients mouth with the portions 3 of the tines projecting upwardly or downwardly accordingly as upper or lower teeth areto be operated upon. The device is then manipulated to dispose the band between the two teeth selected. and is sawed. back and forth longitudinally of portion 6 which thus works its way down between-such teethto clean the space between them. To cause'the part 6 to operate on the rounded surface of the teeth the device is pushed farther into the mouth or moved in the opposite direction as the case may be in order to cause the said flexible portion 6 to adapt itself to such curve-being sawedback and forth-as before explained, at the same time. It will thus be seen that with a flexible cleaner bridging the space between a pair of tines or arms, access can be had to almost any tooth or tooth space, and should it come in contact with the tongue or gums of the patient, no injury will follow. Itwill further be noted'that it is impossible for'such a strip to become wedged so tightly between two teeth that itwould be difficult to withdraw it, because in the event of it entering a space sufficiently contracted or'narrmv it would break as at such time it would be stretched to a breaking point.

In Figs. and 3 I show the frame of the device made wholly from a single piece of wire bent at 8 to form the handle, at 9 to form the stud for the elastic band, at 10. to form the fork, at 11 the bent portions of the tines of the fork and at 12 to form eyes corresponding to heads 4, to receive the band. This type of construction is in all essential particulars identical with that first described and in practice it is handled or manipulated in the same manner.

From the above description it will be ap parent that I have produced a tooth clean- In actual use the 'i ri'g device which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and which therefore is sufficiently small to be conveniently carried in ones pocket, which is of exceedingly simple and cheap construction and is very durable except as regards the elastic bands or their equivalents; it being understood that in this connection the essential part of the Connection between the heads or eyes is that which connects them and that consequently any other means of atta'ching'the bridging piece 6 to the heads or in the same plane as the handle for their full length and front portions extending parallel with each otherand the handle from the front ends of the oblique portions and terminating in arallel curved portions equi ped at their free ends with slitted hea s, a stud projecting from the front end of the handle in the IopPsitefldirection to that in which the curvedji polition projects from the parallel an endless flexib e connection extending through and bridging the space between the slitted heads and extending from said heads to and engaging said stud.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWVARD O. CHAMBERS. Witnesses: H.-C. RODGERS,

G. Y. TIIORPE.

ortionsflo't tl'ietines, and 

